Online Friends

We may live just around the corner
We may live on the other side of the world
We may never meet face to face
We may never have met if not for
our shared obsessions
our shared interests
our shared dreams

We are merely ghosts in the machine
We are lines of text on a computer screen
We are little more than an ideal sometimes
We are strangers who choose
not to be isolated
not to be alone
not to be indifferent

We offer comfort when we are hurting
We offer support when we are weak
We offer advice when we are confused
We offer friendship when we are
feeling lonely
feeling blue
feeling unwanted

We share secrets that we can never tell those we love
We share the truth when we need to hear it
We share a wish that we lived closer together
We share the knowledge that
our friendships are heartfelt
our friendships are deep
our friendships are real